


The Boots

by soongtypeprincess



Series: Married Coppers [20]
Category: Life on Mars (UK)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Parents, Domestic, Domestic Fluff, Family, Gay Parents, Gen, Married Life, So Married
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-14
Updated: 2018-10-14
Packaged: 2019-08-02 01:41:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,228
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16295870
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/soongtypeprincess/pseuds/soongtypeprincess
Summary: Gene is tasked with taking Ruthie shopping for a few more items she needs to start kindergarten, but Sam isn't too sure about what's on her feet.





	The Boots

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Dana](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dana/gifts).



> The Mature rating is because of light smut at the end. 
> 
> For Dana: because.
> 
> I DO NOT OWN THE CANON LIFE ON MARS CHARACTERS!!

It was a beautiful Saturday, unusually warm and sunny outside, and Sam put the kettle on the cooker to begin brewing the tea. He had opened all of the windows in the house to let in the lovely breeze that brought the scent of flowers. There were whirring sounds from the houses across the street as the neighbors mowed their lawns, and the smell of fresh cut grass wafted through the window screens. 

He stood in front of the sink and put his hands behind his back as he breathed in the day, and the sweet smell of strawberries entered his nose. He turned back to the cooker and grabbed an oven mitt from the counter, and he opened the oven door. Carefully, Sam reached inside and brought out the scone pan and set it on a towel on the counter-top. They were a perfect shade of golden brown and were steaming hot. 

He lightly touched the top of one of them and found that it wasn’t quite set. “Nearly there…” he whispered to himself. Sam put them back into the oven and set the egg timer for ten minutes.

Annie was coming around for tea, as well as Gene’s mother, Gwendolyn, and that morning Gene and Sam set up the wooden patio table and chairs with lime green cushions and a matching umbrella. 

It was also to be Ruthie’s birthday next week, as well as her first day of kindergarten. Sam could not believe how quickly five years went by. It seemed like only yesterday that he was giving her bottles at two in the morning and seeing her walk for the first time.

He smiled as he remembered that day. It happened at Gwendolyn’s house and he and Ruthie were playing with a big, cotton ball that was rainbow-colored and made a jingling sound when it rolled. Ruthie had rolled it back him and then stood up and held onto the coffee table.

Sam watched her with anticipation. She had tried several times to walk already, all attempts unsuccessful because she would get scared and sit back down, but, at that moment, she looked as if she would actually do it this time.

When Sam reached for the toy ball to roll it again, Ruthie started moving toward him and he looked up.

She was walking! 

His jaw dropped and he laughed as he got to his knees and held out his arms. “Come on, baby girl! Keep going!”

Ruthie giggled as she toddled over to him and when she finally landed in his arms, Sam hugged her and happy tears fell from his eyes.

“Oh my God!” he exclaimed. “Good job!” He held her in front of him. “You did it!”

Ruthie responded by flapping her arms and giggling again. 

Gene and his mum, who had been in the basement going through his old baby clothes and books, returned to the sitting room and asked what all the noise was. Sam put Ruthie down and moved to the other side of the room. 

“She walked, Guv!” he explained as he got to his knees again. “She finally walked! Watch her. Come here, baby. Show Papa and Granny.”

Ruthie stood up again and wobbled until she got her balance, and then she put one foot in front of the other.

Gwendolyn put her hands to her mouth. “Oh, my goodness!” she shrieked. 

Gene watched with wide eyes and a proud grin. When she reached Sam, he cheered, “That’s my girl!” and approached them.

Ruthie instantly reached for her papa and Gene gave her so many kisses on her little cheeks as Sam wiped away more tears.

The knocking at the front door startled Sam out of his reverie and he left the kitchen to answer it.

It was Annie and Gwendolyn, and he smiled when he saw them together. “Did you miss the bus, Mum?” he asked her as they embraced. 

They all giggled and Annie, while hugging Sam, explained that she offered to drive her. “I don’t like the idea of her being on those dirty buses,” she said.

Gwendolyn grinned at her. “You sound like my Gene,” she said. “Just as well; you  _ are _ family.”

They entered the house and Sam led them into kitchen when the kettle started whistling, and Sam rushed to the cooker.

He pulled the kettle from the heat and turned off the burner before using the oven mitt to once again take the scones out. He set them on the stovetop and turned off the egg timer.

“Perfect!” he declared, grinning at his homemade strawberry scones.

“I see you’re using the cookbook I lent you,” Annie said.

Sam smiled as the ladies sat at the table. “Gene is begging me to cook the roast chicken recipe,” he said, “but I’m more interested in the sole meuniere.”

Gwendolyn shook her head. “Good luck getting him to eat it.”

Sam laughed. “You might be right, Mum. After all, it’s a  _ French _ dish.”

They shared another laugh and Annie suggested, “Why don’t you call it something else?”

“Butter fish?” Gwendolyn said. “I mean it  _ is _ just fish and clarified butter.”

“Oh, but I’m sure he’ll eat it,” Annie added, “after drowning it in malt vinegar.” 

“Are they here?” Gwendolyn asked. “It's rather quiet.”

Sam shook his head. “Ruthie needed shoes for her first day of school and Gene volunteered.”

He procured a plate from one of the cabinets and set about to taking the scones out of the pan. “Just as well; it’s easier to cook when he’s not in the house, hovering over me and eating behind my back. Why, just the other night I was making spag bol, and every time I turned away, he would pinch out a piece of the minced beef I just cooked. If I hadn’t stopped him, we would have been eating plain noodles and sauce.”

They assisted Sam in preparing the tea, moving plates and cups from the cupboard to the table on the patio that overlooked the backyard. Sam knew Gene wouldn’t mind if they started without him, so he stood to pour the ladies their tea, but stopped when he heard the front door open and shut.

Gene appeared through the patio door with two sacks in one hand. “Hello, loves!” he declared as he approached his mother and kissed her cheek. He did the same to Annie, but when he came near Sam, he noticed that he was staring at his feet with a confused expression.

“I said hello,  _ love _ ,” Gene told him, kissing his cheek, but Sam merely gave him an annoyed look. “What?”

“What are those?” Sam asked, pointing at Gene’s feet that now donned a pair of silver snakeskin boots. 

Gene tried to cut him an innocent face. “They’re me shoes.”

Sam smirked. “These weren’t the shoes you left with.”

“No, those shoes are going in the bin.”

“What?”

“These are the only shoes I’m ever wearing now,” Gene said, matter-of-factly.

“Guv,” Sam said. “You can’t be parading around in cowboy boots!”

“Why not? They do in America!”

Sam rolled his eyes. “Yes,  _ darling _ , America.  _ Not _ Manchester.”

Gene glanced at Annie and Gwendolyn who were calmly sipping their teas while they watched.

“Ruthie!” he called back to the house. “Show everyone what you got today.”

Ruthie trotted out of the house and stomped toward Sam wearing little red leather cowboy boots. “Look, Daddy!”

Sam smiled at her and laughed, but before he could ask about her boots, Gene told her, “Show us your Annie Oakley, Mouse.”

Ruthie bowed her legs and walked away from them to the end of the patio. She spun around and pretended to pull a shogun from her back and aimed at Gene. “BANG!” she shouted.

“Argh!” Gene grunted, grabbing his heart and feigning a bullet wound. “Right in the ole ticker!”

They all giggled at her antics as she ran to Gwendolyn and gave her a big hug. “Hi, Granny!” she said. “Do you like my boots?”

Gwendolyn brought her up to sit on her lap and squeezed her in another hug. “I do, dear,” she replied. “They’re wonderful!”

“Hey, Annie!” Ruthie said when Annie came up to them and kissed her cheek.

“Hi, Goosey Girl,” Annie greeted with a big smile. “Did you have fun shopping with Papa?”

“Lots of fun! I tried on lots of shoes and then we went to another shoppe that smelled funny.”

“That was leather, my love,” Gene told her. 

“Oh, yeah, but there were so many boots! And then we went to Dollie’s Bakery and had a cupcake!”

“Ruthie,” Gene said in a low voice. “That was supposed to be a secret.”

She stared back at him and then giggled. “Oh, yeah, I forgot.”

“Well,” said Sam, “that would explain her energy.” He looked at the bags in Gene’s hand. “Please tell me you found better shoes.”

Gene set them down and opened one, bringing out a brown box. He opened it and smiled when he saw Sam smile. “Chuck Taylors,” he announced. “One blue pair, one black, and an extra set of laces.”

“What about--?”

“Backpack? No worries there, Dad.” He pulled something from the other bag and revealed it to be a bright red backpack with Snoopy’s face on it. “Pencils and crayons already stashed inside it, too. She’s all set.”

“And the boots?” Sam asked. “Do they teach how to rope cattle in school now?”

Gene laughed and pulled Sam to him, kissing his cheek again. “Early birthday present,” he explained. “Sam, the look on her face when she asked for them. I know, I’m a bloody fool, but her eyes lit up and she looked right precious walking around the store.”

“You couldn’t say no, then, is what you’re telling me?” Sam asked, smiling at him.

“Would  _ you _ ?”

Sam rolled his eyes again. “No...I guess I wouldn’t.” 

“Want to tell her  _ now _ how no one wears boots in Manchester?” 

They glared at one another, Gene teasing his husband with a mischievous grin. 

“I made scones,” Sam said, leading Gene to the table for tea.

\----------------------

Later that night, after Ruthie was put to bed, Sam stood at the sink in the master bathroom brushing his teeth. After he rinsed his mouth, he washed his face with soap and rinsed with warm water. 

He turned off the tap and began to reach for the hand towel when he felt something stiff poke him in the arse cheek.

Sam quickly dried the water from his face and looked in the mirror to see Gene standing behind him, in his vest, wearing a straw ten-gallon cowboy hat. 

Sam blinked hard and stared into the mirror. “Oh. My. God,” he said. “Am I hallucinating?”

“Ah, it’s no vision,” Gene purred, moving closer behind him, “my little cowpoke.”

“Where were you hiding that?”

“I’ll never tell,” Gene giggled, putting his arms around Sam’s waist. He tried to kiss the nape of Sam’s neck, but the brim of his hat knocked him in the back of the head.

“Hey!” Sam said. “Careful back there, Guv.”

“Call me Sheriff.”

“Absolutely not!”

Gene moved the brim of his straw hat back and put his nose in Sam’s hair. “Come on, Tyler. You can’t tell me this doesn’t turn you on?”

“I  _ can _ tell you,” Sam said, with a huff as he turned to face him. “It doesn’t turn me--where are your underpants?!”

“Keep it down, Sammy,” Gene shushed him, “or I’ll have to hog-tie you.”

Sam looked at his get-up and shook his head. “Gene, did you really think this would do it for me?” he asked. “A cowboy hat, a wrinkled vest, no underpants, and...oh, God, those shite boots.”

“Like hell, they’re shite.”

“Those boots would only look good on a fire.”

“You’re jealous,” Gene revealed. “You want boots, Sammy? I’ll buy you boots. Jesus, you’d look sexy in a pair of black alligators.”

“Not my style, Guv, thanks.”

Gene took off his hat and put it on Sam’s head. They looked in the mirror and Sam grinned. “Well,” he said, shrugging, “I guess this looks nice.”

“ _ Nice _ ?” Gene hissed, pressing his lips to Sam’s neck again. “God, Sam, you know bleeding well you look gorgeous in my hat and all you can say is  _ nice _ ?” 

Sam began to shiver as Gene’s lips caressed his skin, his breath hot and hungry against him. He let out a soft moan and felt Gene’s hand go into his pajama bottoms.

His moan was louder this time and he craned his neck, catching the hat as it was falling off his head. 

Gene glanced in the mirror at his husband, head held back, soft lips open and inviting, and his eyes fluttering at his touch. 

He held his lips to Sam’s ear. “I’m taking you in, Outlaw,” he growled.

“I thought I was the Deputy,” Sam said, reaching back with his free hand to stroke his index finger against Gene’s hard cock.

“You can be whatever you want, Sammy,” Gene whispered against Sam’s shoulder. “Just leave the hat on.”

Sam stroked his cock again and Gene pressed against him.

“Careful, Tyler, that’s a loaded weapon.”

“Yes, sir, Sheriff Hunt…” Sam muttered, turning to face him to kiss his lips.

Gene growled again, and pulled away to put one of Sam’s arms behind his back to escort him to the bed.


End file.
